Palm Beach Cavallino Classic

None were invited this year. There was some fallout, there will be more. It is highly likely none will be detectable by more than a very few who are not involved.

 

Odd that you weren’t so supportive and positive about Cavallino until Canossa bought it.

 

So less experience will rule the day, but entrants won't complain as long as they get a Platinum and a nod in the print ?

 

Despite any bad blood between you and John you have to admit and respect the fact that he created THE preeminent Ferrari event and THE most respected journal of Ferrari history worldwide.

I can’t speak to ad revenue but I assure you that the magazine and event did nothing but thrive and grow from 02 to 20. I’m sure most here and agree with that. I’ve gone since 1996.

After all, if Cavallino wasn’t successful and respected Canossa would not have bought it in the first place.

Hopefully Canossa will be as good a steward of Cavallino as John and Alicia. In fact, I hope they make it even better for many generations to come.

 

It will be nothing like it once was. That's okay. Nothing stays the same. Life moves on. If you don't like the new Cavallino, don't go.

 

Change may be inevitable…..but is it better or for the worse? As a decades-long subscriber and, until the last few years, a regular attendee, I don’t see the changes as positive from my perspective. It’s difficult for a corporate entity to take over the vision and passion of one man without corrupting it with corporatism to some extent; to put its mark on the product even if that means diluting or homogenizing it. The same thing is happening with the things that Hagerty has taken over.

 

Ironically Canossa seems to be pricing its events for the older generation instead of making them more appealing (c&c vs. field shows) and accessible ($$) to younger people. I see nothing in their event schedule…..CC and tours….that would be considered directed to a younger audience.

They should have taken a couple of years and made a better effort to understand the American market. Making the CC weekend even more elitist was definitely tone deaf.

 

^ so true. they are pricing out thousandaires and paper millionaires. the ones who aspire.

 

^ you are correct but blinded to the fact that it prices out the generations needed to sustain the enthusiasm.

 

How can the younger generation even try these events the way they are currently priced? Do you know any 20 somethings that can afford a $400+ day? My kids love Cavallino and have gone since they were toddlers. Unfortunately that's just no longer possible.

FWIW I'm hearing a lot of backlash from collectors and patrons who are taking a hard pass this year due to perceived price gouging. I understand the business model of charging as much as possible but I think they just hit the current accepted ceiling. Hopefully this doesn't negatively affect future shows or entries.

IMO the future of the event is riding on this year's success/failure.

 

Correct.

Our local cars and coffee regularly draws 1,000+ cars and massive crowds. In fact, all of our local events are packed. There is an enormous, untapped market of young enthusiasts here. I'm not saying to make the Classic super cheap or free, I do think it isn't smart to alienate an entire generation of future entrants and participants.

To ignore them is foolish as they are the future of the event.

 

I do not like what they are doing either but does not mean its a bad business model. Other events can sustain the enthusiasm leaving Cannosa events to be the ones to aspire to. I am not completely sold on its continued success but the involvement of Ferrari may be all they need for that. We shall see.

 

This singular myopic statement sums up everything that is wrong with modern concours and the reason they will die.

 

And the crowds are why many of us do not go, including nearly all of the owners of important cars. That is not what Cavallino ever was. one of the reasons prices continually climbed was to try and make it more exclusive. Same with The Quail but at a lower scale. Events like FCA National need to cater to entire club so it will not happen there.

 

I’m pretty sure I understand. But even people in this forum who can well afford the fees are offended because even rich people…or especially rich people…don’t like to feel like they’re being taken advantage of. If you surveyed the high net worth participants as to what they’d like to see changed I seriously doubt any of them would say, “Raise the prices to PAIN in order to keep out the riffraff.” And for many people the event fees are just the beginning. There’s still the cost of travel and lodging for many spectators and participants alike. I know one prominent collector and multi-year CC displayer who fits the description in your post who’s never going back to CC. He’s going to Pebble Beach instead.

 

I'm not saying they should lower the pricing to have a massive crowd. I'm using that as an example of proof that there is an entire younger generation of upcoming enthusiasts who can carry the torch if they aren't pushed away by snobbery.

Lol, though I do remember plenty of Classics where it was so crowded you could barely move. In fact, we would make sure to be by the car during the lunch "push" when it would get mobbed.

 

You have lost sight of the fact that the exact qualities of an everymans event are the exact qualities that prevent owners of important cars from attending.